Asymmetric Signatures of Warps in Edge-on Disks

Abstract

Protoplanetary disks observed edge-on commonly show asymmetries that can be caused by shadows cast from a warp. With the growing amount of these observations, methods to constrain warp parameters are urgently needed. In this work, we investigate observational signatures of warps in edge-on disks with the aim to find limits on the observability of warps. We perform radiative transfer simulations in scattered light (near-/mid-infrared) of edge-on disks containing warps of different amplitudes and varying sizes of the misaligned inner region. We analyze the effect of these parameters at 0.8 micron, but also compare models for specific parameters at wavelengths up to 21 micron. In all models, we quantify the apparent asymmetry. We find that under optimal conditions, an asymmetry due to slight warps can be visible. The visibility depends on the viewing angle, as warped disks are not axisymmetric. For optimal azimuthal orientation, misalignments between inner and outer disk regimes as low as 2° can lead to significant asymmetries. On the other hand, we find that larger misalignments of about 10° are needed in order to observe a change in the brightest nebula as a function of wavelength, which is observed in a few protoplanetary disks. In order to link our results to observations, we investigate potential misalignments between the inner and outer disk of edge-on systems showing asymmetries. We compare the jet geometry, which traces the inner region of the disk, to the outer disk orientation and find that a misalignment of a few degrees could be present, such that warped disks could explain the apparent lateral asymmetries. There are many factors that can influence the appearance of the shadows and asymmetries in warped disks. Although it is still challenging to infer exact warp parameters from observations, this work presents a promising step toward better constraints.